Virginia Beach, Va. - The July 4th weekend is well underway here in Hampton Roads.
With thousands of people spending their holiday weekend here, Virginia Beach Police are beefing up their presence.
Police say they are really focusing their attention on Mt. Trashmore and the Oceanfront because it is where the large crowds are expected to gather.
“There will be increased patrols," Master Police Officer Linda Kuehn said. "We’ll have officers doing traffic safety checkpoints. As well as increased patrols on the streets, the waterways and in areas of the city that usually draws large crowds.”
Daniel Wilson and his wife are among the thousands of people spending a few days along the waterfront.
“My wife and I came down here on Tuesday," Wilson said. "We’re celebrating 26 years of marriage.”
Wilson says seeing police eases his mind about his family's safety.
"They were here. We knew they were here. They didn’t intimidate anyone. In fact, I saw them help people across the way. Here today, in the last few hours, I’ve seen a few more police officers," Wilson explained.
Police couldn’t go into detail about how they’d react to a possible situation, but say they are well prepared.
"In any situation where we have large crowds, we have increased patrols and we handle each incident that occurs accordingly," Officer Kuehn said.
Along with more police patrols, additional lifeguards are also on duty.
Police say if you see something that looks out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to call 911.
Dispatch told News 3 it was a calm Saturday night.
